Peter Allen just called to say ‘National does not love content piracy’

It was a simpler time. A time when VCR recorders had springloaded hatches on the top to receive tapes. A time when slow-mo replay meant frames skipping forward with fuzzy bars across the screen. A time when Panasonic was known as ‘National’. It was a flamboyant time.

So flamboyant that National recruited beloved Aussie entertainer, Oscar winner and one-time Mr Liza Minnelli, Peter Allen, to promote its new video recorder:

“With the strains of Allen’s 1977 hit The More I See You playing in the background, the iconic singer moves seamlessly from the stage to the living room with National’s range of VHS products,” says a National/Panasonic historian.

Of all the creative facets that date this TVC — and UnderCurrent is prepared to be frank: this has not aged well — it’s this message that really shows just how different the world of 1982 was from this modern era of self-justified content piracy:

Can you imagine a supplier affixing that message on an ad for a new VCR? Or PVR? Or PC? Or Mac? Or smartphone? Or tablet? Or Smart TV? Or MP3 player? Or camera? Or pretty much any digital product cum piracy conduit these days?